The Canadian Polyurea & Protective Coatings Association Ontario Chapter held its June technical workshop on June 10, 2025 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. The full-day event drew 112 attendees including applicators, project managers, municipal engineers, and supplier representatives.
Morning Session Highlights
The workshop opened with a keynote from Dr. Amanda Wexler of Ryerson University’s Civil Engineering department, who presented findings from a 5-year field study comparing the long-term performance of polyurea, epoxy, and cementitious liners in Ontario’s aging water infrastructure.
Key findings included:
- Polyurea-lined structures showed 94% less microcrack propagation over the 5-year period
- Average maintenance cost reduction of 67% versus cementitious alternatives
- Zero failures in properly applied polyurea coatings at the tested tensile elongation threshold of 400%
The study validated what our community has known for years — proper polyurea application delivers unmatched longevity. You can read more about the technical side in our guide to Concrete Rehabilitation With Polyurea.
Hands-On Surface Prep Demonstration
After lunch, attendees moved to the hotel’s loading dock area where a live surface preparation demonstration was conducted on a concrete substrate. The demo covered SSPC-SP 13 requirements, moisture testing protocols, and the importance of achieving proper anchor profile (2-4 mil for typical polyurea systems).
Instructor Mike Theriault, a 22-year veteran applicator from Sudbury, demonstrated three common surface prep failures and their visual tells — information that’s particularly valuable for quality control inspectors and project specifiers in the audience.
Afternoon Panel: The Cold Weather Conundrum
A panel of four experienced applicators discussed strategies for successful polyurea spraying in Canadian winter conditions. Topics ranged from drum heating and heated hose management to substrate temperature monitoring and the chemistry of isocyanate behaviour at low temperatures. For a reference overview of this topic, see our popular guide on Spraying Polyurea in Cold Weather.
Panelist Sandra Chen of ChemCoat Solutions (Edmonton) noted that her team has successfully applied polyurea at -15°C ambient with substrate temps maintained at +5°C through aggressive preheating — challenging conventional wisdom that polyurea is a warm-weather-only product.
Regulatory Update
CPCA legal counsel provided a brief regulatory update covering recent amendments to Transport Canada TDG regulations affecting the shipment of polyurea components (specifically MDI-based isocyanates under Class 6.1) and new Ontario MOE requirements for secondary containment systems at fuel storage facilities. Members can review the full regulations guide on our website.
Next Meeting
The next Ontario Chapter meeting will be held August 19, 2025. The topic will focus on polyurea applications in the residential waterproofing market, including below-grade foundations, balconies, and green roofs. View the full events calendar for all upcoming chapter meetings across Canada.
Members who could not attend can request a copy of the presentation slides through the member portal.